UPDATE - 28 February 2013

Hi, all. It’s good to be back from India. I had a great time with the students there. I taught another batch and now I’m home, and they consistently contact me sending me love. I love it!

I then spent a week in Blacksburg visiting my mentee and spending time with one of my dearest, oldest, and most beautiful friends (hey, BF) as she works through her PhD. I stopped in DC on the weekend to surprise Kristine for Valentine’s Day. We were able to do a really cool cruise on the water and I got to see her bruises healing slowly. Unfortunately another tooth cap came loose so that had to be redone but she seems to be in good spirits, in general. Or at least seeing me helped. J

I’m now back and about to head out for another fun-filled two weeks. Then hopefully I’ll be grounded for awhile as I start up some music classes, try to join the North American Actor’s Guild here, and run a Sparks session. Wish me luck because I’m having trouble with all three of those, but I believe it will work out as I continue trying.

I’ve just finished my stint at the homeless shelter I was working at, so I’ll miss a lot of my people there. The funny thing is people ask me for jobs all the time when they find out where you work. It’s just part of working here. Students ask me, people I meet in pubs ask me. Even the woman I see each week at the dry cleaners. I thought she was joking with me and flashing that smile at me because she was interested in me. Turns out she just wanted to work with my company. I should have known after she commented on how tall I was! I didn’t think it would be the exact same thing at the shelter. So at the shelter, I was helping one girl with internships and studies. I was helping another man who was trying to shop a new product idea to my company. He asked me to check with them. I did but of course, they weren’t interested. It was the first time I got job requests even at the shelter. I’m still working on helping one guy out and need to talk to the shelter administration.

Otherwise, things are good. I’m going to go rest now, but hopefully you enjoy the rest of this update. If not, just close the tab on the browser, delete the email, or navigate to another page away from this blog. I’m never offended. Have a great week and weekend.

ART

 Like I said, I work for this smaller technology firm in the UK and they treat us really nicely. On the opening weekend of The Dark Knight Rises, the engineering part of the company rented out a theatre for all the engineers. Then because we didn’t fill it out we were able to bring a guest. We were each given a bottle of water and popcorn and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, having waited for this movie for over a year. I want to say that it is good. It has a lot of cool effects and action but a lot of drama. It’s slower than the 2^nd movie, The Dark Knight, because the action doesn’t really start until maybe 2/3rds of the way into the film, but it’s quite good. I think I liked it because I like drama and there is a lot of drama, relational struggles, and personal searches.

I will not say that it is better than Batman 2: The Dark Knight. How do you beat that movie where the action starts from the beginning, where it ends and continues at least 3 times, and where Heath Ledger played his role to perfection? It’s hard. The Dark Knight Rises was still a good movie, and I loved the psychological parts the best. My two favourite thinking moments which I’m still trying to apply to my life were about hope and fear. One of the characters in the movie said “Without hope there is no despair.” . . . . Just sit and let that counterintuitive statement hit you. I LOVE IT! And I find it to be true. The second one was not completely worded as it was lived out—fear makes a man stronger (or more able). . . . how does that one hit you? I also find this to be true. I think Christopher Nolan not only did a great job directing, he did an excellent job co-writing it. I encourage you to go see if it you liked the first two.

But what really has me thinking is the movie Anonymous which advances one of a number of theories about the “true” identity of the writer, William Shakespeare. This is an old academic (some say nonsensical) debate that has gone on for decades, with the specific conspiracy theory in Anonymous first appearing around 90 years ago, advanced by a man named Thomas Looney.

First, to make sure you understand what I’m writing, I will call the actor from Stratford-upon-Avon who moved to London and became famous for many plays, eventually opening up and co-owning the Globe Theatre William of Stratford. I will call the actual writer (which could be the same person) William Shakespeare. Secondly, I’m always bothered by current media that presents two sides without giving me the proper context of what percentage of experts fall on each side or the fact that there are many more opinions other than the two extremes presented. So let me say that the vast majority of academic Shakespeare experts believe that William of Stratford is William Shakespeare. Thirdly, remember that even though a vast majority of people believe William of Stratford was Shakespeare, there are still academics who doubt it, even if in the minority. So it is not only conspiracy theorists or people who are not Shakespeare experts. Lastly, let me give you a few of the problems the people (in the minority) have preventing them from believing William of Stratford wrote the plays attributed to Shakespeare.

 William of Stratford had little or no education – Some believe that the level of knowledge and sophistication in Shakespeare’s poetry and writings required that he be an aristocrat or at least well-educated. However, the problem with this view is that Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlow (also in the movie) had similar backgrounds. Ben was the son of a bricklayer, I believe, while Marlow was the son of a shoemaker. Ben also had a grammar school education, and many people consider Jonson’s plays and Marlow’s plays even more educated or erudite. The point here is that it is hard to understand, but it is impossible? No one disputes Jonson’s authorship nor Marlow’s authorship. I will, however, say that there is a reason that Shakespeare is considered the greatest of all time.

William of Stratford’s children were illiterate – I think the belief is that someone that well-written and educated (whether self-educated or otherwise) would have educated his children or had his children educated. This however deals with probabilities as opposed to proof.

William of Stratford never left any writing in his own handwriting other than 6 signatures (which differ in spelling) - This one actually bothers me. Of course, I say this from 21^st century experience in which I know if I died, people would find many things both typed by me and written by hand by me. I still find it odd that there is no writing in his handwriting. The first folio (first publication) of his work was completed in 1623 by two actors in his company after his death. It sits here in the UK at Oxford University. Again, this is not proof, but raises doubts.

William of Stratford spent a lot of time engaging in law suits  - This one makes me laugh. The problem here is one of time. If you look at any of Shakespeare’s 37 plays, they seem to have taken a long time to write. Where did William of Stratford get the time to write such plays when he had a wife and children and was spending time and effort engaging in law suits? Again it makes me laugh, and seems like a logical question. Interestingly enough, you can see legal experience in Shakespeare’s plays like the Merchant of Venice.

William of Stratford couldn’t read French, Spanish, or Italian – Shakespeare’s plays show a knowledge of these languages (including references) or at least access to translated versions. But there seems to be no evidence that William of Stratford could read any of the languages or had access to translations. The problem here, again, is that though it’s hard to believe, we just don’t know if he actually did have access to a privately circulating translation or if there was a translation that is no longer with us today (this has happened with other texts that we know about).

William of Stratford never traveled outside of London (after moving there) – We have no record of him traveling outside of London but he could have done so unknown to us today.

William of Stratford left no books, letters, or correspondences in hi will and did not get even one eulogy at his death – This is another of those strange things. If I were William, again from my limited 21^st century perspective, I would have books and letters and correspondences that I owned. I would at the least have books that I owned if I loved to write so (and possibly read and borrow and create history plays). And many find it strange that he died somewhat unnoticed. To be honest, I don’t really get it myself.

I read one analysis that said to name one, just one other writer who was illiterate, brought up illiterate children, financed his work from the pockets of common people, has a name that is a pun, has a name that states a sentence in English, died unnoticed, and never commented on the events of his day. The last point is another reason people think someone else (the Earl of Oxford) was the writer because they felt the Earl of Oxford had a reason, being aristocracy, not to directly comment on other aristocracy and the events of his day.

However as much sense as it seems to make that William of Stratford and Shakespeare were two different people, it’s hard to find proof of it. In support of William of Stratford, I find it strange that I have read nothing from the time of the Shakespeare including immediately after his death that proposes hypotheses of alternative writers. This is all more recent history. Some believe this is because it was a great cover-up or conspiracy to hide it. If so, it was very well done. If you want to convince the academic establishment (including people who have spent their lives studying this) you have to find some actual direct proof to link Shakespeare’s plays to someone else instead of starting with the holes or problems with the authorship belonging to William of Stratford. Still it’s a tantalizing mystery. In reality, though, it doesn’t really matter who wrote it. I’m just thankful we have the plays and can enjoy them for what they are worth (or not worth if you don’t like Shakespeare).

I went to the Tate Modern museum recently and saw an exhibition by Sung Hwan Kim in the Tanks section of the Tate. I went there with James, a college friend and DC male a capella group-member. We were going to support the work since another college associate did the music for Sung’s exhibition. I must tell you that I was so disturbed by that exhibition. It literally unsettled me like watching a suspense or horror film. I kept thinking why. Sung is an interdisciplinary artist, so he uses narration, video, images, music, sound, sculpture, and more. And I thought to myself, that sound and music was a huge reason why it reached me more than it would have without it. That seems obvious, but I wonder if all art is not equal to me.

It seems much harder for a visual art piece to reach out and grab me the way a piece of music has the potential to do with no visual aid. Yet, if the art piece is combined with music it regains that potential. I’m not sure if I’m imagining this but it seems that way. I can look at art pieces (I spent a lot of time in Italy in museums) and be moved but it seems much rarer that a piece really moves me or shakes me than a piece of music moves or shakes or shapes me. I wonder if I am more susceptible to mood creation through my auditory cortex rather than my visual cortex. I don’t know. Does anyone else experience this? Let me know. Until next time, ciao.

ART & LIFE

There’s a jazz vocalist I like name Gretchen Parloto. I actually didn’t know she was that big, that the accolades around her were quite high, that her stylings are so laudable. But she’s good and she sings like. . . another instrument in the band somewhat. Funny, I heard her say in an interview that if she could croon like Chaka Kahn or Aretha she would. She said she tried it and it doesn’t sound pretty; no one would want to hear her (I laughed at this). So she does what she’s good at, and boy is she good at it. It’s an understated sound and singing so it may not be for everyone, but I wanted to mention her since I was listening to her recently.

The other reason I like her is that she teaches and does workshops. I think this is the greatest thing an artist can do. It’s that connective link that’s so important. There’s more. When she’s passing on what she does or trying to give a workshop, it’s very important to her that it’s more than just the music, more than just working on or learning about rhythm, phrasing, interpretation, and improvisation. She wants to drink tea, talk about who you are and why you’re doing what you’re doing. She wants to know where you are going. She wants to also work or tap into the emotional and spiritual side of music and release its potential to transform both the artist and those that are listening.

The other artist I’ve been listening to is Bobby McFerrin. I’m not sure what to say about him. I actually view him as a gift to the world and the type of artist that doesn’t come along very often. I have been recently rediscovering him, again. I’m especially amazed by him because he treats the voice in a similar way to the fashion an instrumentalists treats her instrument. Normally in music, we use the term singers to denote someone who sings but isn’t a musician. Vocalist is carries much more connotations of musicality with it. But in all honesty, even if you are a vocalist, you get by with less. You can practice less than a non-voice instrumentalist. You just learn your notes (way faster than it takes for instrumentalists to learn theirs which actually deals with physically moving the hands, feet, and body fast enough and with dexterity and agility in order to play it technically correct). Bobby sings songs that vocalists don’t normally do. For instance, my FIRST interaction with Bobby was to sing “Flight of the Bumblebee” for my senior recital in high school. I did it as a duet with a cellist, just as Bobby did it as a duet with Yo-yo Ma whom I love (Yo-yo is so willing to improvise and play with anyone to create beautiful music). Vocalists don’t sing Flight of the Bumblebee. It’s too. . .technical. It’s just a bit crazy to do that. But he did it, so I did it. Bobby will also sing arpeggiated accompaniment to a song like Ave Maria exploiting the range of the human male voice. No one did that before him (I haven’t really heard anyone do it after him). It’s hard to do that and play your voice like an instrumentalist but he did it and does it.

His intonation and accuracy, his ability to shift between his full-voice register and his falsetto and head voice at a moment’s notice is unparalleled. He jumps back and forth between them with ease and not only is able to do that with learned songs, but he can do it while improvising. This is quite . . . amazing. He is able to really go on and on and on improvising which is important for vocalists to learn—not to stop, keep going. Anyway, can you tell I like him and his work. Once Bobby came and did a workshop with my choir, and Bobby actually said “God is in the music.” Literally, God is in the music.

Smile




Improvisational duet - Lullaby of Birdland




Centerpieces

UPDATE - April 2011

I’m stopped at a red light and I look to my right past the right lane to the right sidewalk. A noise draws my attention. I see a group of three black youth in an open circle (arc) looking to the left at an older white woman on crutches (the type that are just poles but have a holder for your forearms and a horizontal bar protruding from the pole for your hand to hold). The women is medium build, about 5’5’’ with disheveled brown hair; her complexion looks as if it hoped to be fairer if only it had a good wash and scrubbing down. But her mind and complexion seemed to be out of relationship so she plodded along.

Now the three youth were looking at her because she appeared to be . . . rapping. What was strange is that she provided a steady beat to the rap by hitting her pole crunches against the ground. She could only do this by moving forward or backward as if walking. So when she would get really hype into a great part of her rap, she would hit a quick “bmm bmm bmm bmm” (left right left right) which would quickly walk/crutch her backwards away from the kid down the sidewalk. It had a funny look. Imagine a physically handicapped person trying to have her crutches keep up with her fast rap, having to walk-crutch-limp faster to thud faster to the rhythm of her rap all the while the three youth looking at her like “What in the world is that?” I promise you that’s the look that I saw. At first I thought they were all friends and they for someone reason couldn’t understand what she was saying. But then I saw that they were as mystified as I was watching her hobbling to tap and crutch-walk herself in rhythm with her fast walk. Too Legit—bmm—too legit to qui-bmm bmm bmm-say what?-bmm—too legit—bm—too legit-to quit--Crutch-walk, tap tap tap-Can’t touch this-- bmm bmm bmm—You hear what –tap—cause this is a beat-bmm bmm—you can’t touch--crutch-step, crutch-step, crutch-step.

Then she comes to me . . . bmm bmm bmm bmm . . . . with the biggest smile on her face.

“Did you see that?”

“Yeah.”

“I was spitting some truth to those kids. Those kids didn’t know what hit ‘em,” she said proudly as if she had just discovered a new chemical element or finished her career-ending concert finale.

“Yeah.”
“You got some change?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m flipping and ripping a couple of lyrical styles y’all never heard “ Bmm Bmm Bmm
Trying reach dem partners dat be on dat cornah sipping syuurp.” Bmm bmm bmm

Green light.



Hidy-ho. It’s good to be in touch again. I’m starting a new series which may require me to write once a week again. One thing I’ve learned is that though I don’t enjoy writing these updates as much as people think, there are vast majority of the 6 of you who do enjoy getting them. For that reason, I keep on writing them when I’m tempted to stop.

You’d like to know what’s new with me? Well, all the same old stuff. I’m still doing a few mentoring programs and volunteering here and there. I am still in my fellowship program doing international development work for big people. I still sing in a few groups and enjoy that.

What’s new since the last time I wrote is that I auditioned for a science education show and got the part. I’m the physics content host for a science education video series that helps science teachers understand the science they teach. The science education organization hired a production company to handle the videos, and the production company thought “We always get actors to host things. Why don’t we get actual scientists?” That’s where I was lucky since I’m at the intersection of acting and science. Either way, they hired me after the audition. There are 20 units, and 6 are in my area—physics. Each unit has 20 lessons, and I go through the 20 lessons and choose 8-12 that warrant extra explanation via a video. Then I write bullet-point descriptions of what would be in the video. Then I write the scripts for it. Then we shoot. They’re a good group of guys, and I’m really enjoying the process to work at the intersection of education, science, and acting. It’s the first time I’ve worked with a teleprompter, too!

Another new thing is that I went to book talk on a social justice book (in the Arts section below). The editor was a really nice and humble man who is charge of Christian student life (or something like that) at Princeton. Anyway, I didn’t realize he was also the religion editor for the Huffington Post. I was the last person to talk to him that night before going home. I just wanted to say hello with no ulterior motives. He asked about me. When he realized what I did, he told me the CEO of my fellowship organization has written 3 articles for him over the past few years. He said he would love for me to write articles on the intersection of science and faith. So he told me to submit some ideas to him. I was surprised, but told him ok. I sent him an idea the next day. He said he looks forward to seeing the full article. Wowzers.

Also my a capella group got serious and had a December holiday concert. We were going to do a joint concert with a barbershop group but they pulled out so we had a Christmas party and sang a few tunes at that at two different points during the 2-hour party. It was a hit and people LOVED it! So we’re currently working on a spring concert. Unfortunately people have left due to drama (yes guy groups can have drama, too), other commitments, and moving away from the city. So we’ve been auditioning. We’ll see if we can still have the spring concert in time. Most likely we’ll move it to the summer/fall or just do a nice Christmas concert.

But the big thing people have been asking me about is what I’ll do next year (September 2011). My fellowship program is over in August, so all the 2nd year fellows are job-hunting. There are various opportunities, but I’ll tell you about the three related to my current fellowship.

1) I’ve applied for a Congressional Fellowship (so doing the same program but in Congress)

2) I could get hired on (there budget problems and it seems unlikely)

3) AAAS Fellows at my department/agency are the only AAAS fellows allowed to do a 3rd year extension overseas as one of the missions. There are 20 countries interested in hosting a 3rd year AAAS Fellow, so I’m in talks with them to see if they would like to have me. Unfortunately it’s a matching program. They don’t want a general intern who can learn what they want her to do, they want someone who is already an expert in a certain field and language to come in and hit the ground running. So I’ve had 7 no’s so far. Ghana will no longer host a fellow. Zambia has competing priorities and also won’t host a fellow anymore. Russia said no due to money (which doesn’t make sense because there is Washington money available). Egypt said they have to wait for a new government before they decide what they will do with science & technology (S&T) work in Egypt. Mozambique and DRC said the fit wasn’t good. DRC wanted a French-extremely- fluent biodiversity expert who uses GIS in land surveying conservation efforts (I really liked this position as it was a regional position and required you to go around to different parts in the area, and you wouldn’t be stuck in the office, but out in the field a lot). So that’s that. We’ll see what happens with the others.

Outside of that, I’m applying various things, mainly social enterprises since I love those whether joining one, joining a social enterprise incubator, or starting one. We’ll see. It’s an exciting field and I’m glad I’m a part of it from a donor and experimenter side. Since I’m looking at jobs all over the map, I will tell you about one in science education that floored me. An HBCU in Baltimore has a center for Excellence in Mathematics and Science. My name was given to them (by AAAS due to work as an adj. prof of Ed for AAAS through George Washington University, working with DC public school teachers). The center’s director resigned or retired. The associate is taking over for the time being. They are interested in me coming in to be the interim director and applying to be the permanent director (competitive post). I told them I’m interested. So we’ll see how that goes.

In the meantime, I’m still doing weekly community dinners, watching plays and concerts, and preparing to teach a salsa dance class this summer. Still I really love singing with my a capella group.